Wire coating apparatus



All@ 19, 1941- E. J. FLYNN 2,253,173

WIRE GOATING APPARATUS Filed uan-,n 29, 1959 'nventor Edward J. Flgv'm.,

` H15 Attorney.

lmatented ug. 199 194i wine comme aannames Edward .,l. Flynn, Schenectady, N. Y., assigner to General l'llectric ioinpany, a corporation or New Yori?.

idpplcatiom Marelli 29, i933, Serial No. 2643?@ (@l. lll- 32) Claims..

My invention relates to apparatus for coating Wire, as for example with an enamel or varnish and it has for its object the provision of improved coating apparatus by which the insertion in the apparatus or the replacement therein of a wire or wires to be coated is facilitated. The construction which I have devised is well adapted, although not limited, for use when fragile wires or wires of the smaller sizes are to be coated and when the coating material employed has a high viscosity since with my construction friction to the movement of the wire is materially reduced from that in other forms of such apparatus in common use.

In accordance with my invention the receptacle holding the coating material through which the Wire is drawn in one or more free strands is provided with an upwardly opening Slot for each strand through which the wire passes freely. The wire is initially applied to the apparatus or' a strand is replaced therein merely by inserting it by a transverse movement into the proper slot thereby avoiding the usual threading operation and also avoiding any disturbance to other strands. Excess leakage of the material through the slots is prevented by a detachable cover for a portion of each slot and What material does escape is deflected from the wire and recovered.

My invention will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, Fig, 1 is an elevation of the complete apparatus for coating the Wire and baking it thereafter; Fig. 2 is a schematic view to show the path taken by the wire; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of coating apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and comprising one embodiment of my invention but drawn to a larger scale; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of Fig. 3 drawn to a. still larger scale; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 shows the dies and the supports therefor.

In the drawing Fig. 1 shows a complete coating and baking apparatus comprising the coating apparatus I and the baking oven 2 by which the coating on the wire is baked and hardened. The oven is supported in an elevated position by the legs 3 and attached to the oven are the pulleys 4, 5 and Ii which with the pulley 1 which is supported from the legs guides the Wire shown at 8 through the coating apparatus and the oven in as many separate strands as it is desired to have coats on the wire. The wire which is withdrawn from the reel 9 passes over a pulley I up through the coating apparatus l and the oven 2 thence over a pulley 4 to pulleys 5 and 6, thence back over another pulley 'I and again through the coating machine and the oven. .As illustrated by Fig. 2 the wire is caused to pass through the coating apparatus and the oven four times thereby receiving four coats before it finally passes to the receiving reel I0 which is driven by the motor II.

The coating apparatus I comprises a troughlike receptacle I2 having a bottom and side walls for the coating material supported from legs 3 by the plates I4. The coating material I5 formmg a bath in the receptacle is supplied thereto preferably at each end of the receptacle by the pipes I6 controlled by the valves Il which pipes empty into the nipples I8. Extending length-` wise of the receptacle I2 is the Weir I9 which serves to maintain the desired level of the coating material. The surplus material supplied to the receptacle escapes through the central portion of the Weir from which it passes to a low level portion `of the receptacle.: and through the outlet 20 which empties into the catch basin 2| connecting with 'the sump, not shown, from ilvshich the material is repumped to the inlet pipe `One side of the receptacle I2 comprises 'in part the sloping wall 23 which has a number of parallel upwardly opening slots 24 formed therein. At the corresponding side of the receptacle I2 is the removable wall 25 which has an upstanding portion 26 corresponding to a similar portion 21 on the fixed part of the receptacle. 'Ihese two projections form a. passage-way through which the coated wire 8 passes out of the coating apparatus. The removable Wall 25 has the ear 28 and the plate 29 spaced from each other so as to receive and be supported by the slotted wall 23. For convenience in handling this member it is provided with the rod-like handle 30. It will be noted that the plate 29 extends downwardly an appreciable distance below the level of the coating material I5 thereby serving to prevent unnecessary leakage of the material through the slots 24. Secured to the inclined wall 23 at the lower portion thereof is the plate 3| which is provided with the slots 32 corresponding with the slots 24 in the member 23. The strands of the wire being drawn through the coating apparatus pass freely through the aligned slots 24 and 32. Because of the viscosity ofthe coating material and the fact that the plate29 closes much of the wall 23 but little of the coating material escapes through the slots; however, what does esoape follows rthe under surface of the plate 3| and is thereby directed away from the wire rather than following down thewire to one of the lower pulleys. The escaping material drops ofi.' the lower edge of plate 3| and is caught in the trough 33 from which it empties into the catch basin 2l. As a result of this construction of therecept'acle I2 it will be seen that by removing the wall 25 the wire or any strand thereof may be readily inserted through any pair of aligning slots 24 and 32 without necessitating the threading of the wire through a small hole or by disturbing any other strand or strands. This is of particular value in the event that a strand breaks for it is then only necessary to join the ends together, for example by brazing, and insert the strand inV the proper slots without disturbing other strands of the same Wire or strands of other wires. In the up per portion of the receptacle are thedies 35 Which are loosely mounted to be self centering.

As showin more clearly by Fig. 6 the dies are mounted on the ngers 36 of the plates 31 secured to the upper portion of the receptacle.

The dies have a bifurcated construction whereby they can be opened up by the use of a suitable tool to insert over or to be removed a Wire. The construction of the dies is disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Adalbert Alexay, Serial No. 266,384, filed Apri1`6, 1939 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. Preferably the removable wall 25 of the receptacle is formed in a number of sections each covering those slots through which extends the strands of a single wire. In the form represented by the drawing each section of the wall 25 covers six slots, the construction be.

ing intended for use where each Wire passes six times through the receptacle and hence receives six coats of the material. It will be noted however that for convenience in illustration but four strands are shown whereby the wire receives but four coats.

I have chosen the particular embodiment described above as illustrative of my invention and it will be apparent that various modications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention which modifications I aim to cover by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Wire coating apparatus comprising a. receptacle for holding a coating material, means for drawing a plurality of strands of wire through said material to become coated therewith, said receptacle having one side provided with a plurality of upwardly opening slots through which the strands pass and detachable means for closing the upper portions of said slots to reduce leakage of the material.

2. Wire coating apparatus comprising an elongated receptacle for holding a coating material, means for drawing a plurality of spaced free strands of wire through said material, said receptacle having a side wall provided with an upwardly opening slot for receiving each of said strands, a die on each of said strands supported above said material and a cover for said recepf tacle and die comprising portions arranged on opposite sides of said strands. oneof said portions being removable to give access to the strands and the dies thereon.

3. Wire coating apparatus comprising a receptacle containing a bath of substantially quiet coating material. means for supplying the material thereto, means for maintaining constant the depth of said bath, and means for drawing said wire through said bath, said receptacle having a side provided with an upwardly opening slot through which the wire may be passed by a transverse movement to and from its coating position.

4. Wire coating apparatus comprising a receptacle having a bottom and side walls for holding a bath of relatively quiet coating material. means for drawing said wire through said bath, means for supplying said material to said receptacle, said receptacle having one side wall provided with an upwardly opening slot extending below the level of the material forming the bath through which slot the Wire may be inserted by a transverse movement thereof.

5. Wire coating apparatus comprising a receptacle containing a bath of coating material, means for drawing said wire in a free strand through said bath, said receptacle having one side thereof provided with an upwardly opening slot through which the wire may be passed by a transverse movement to and from its coating position, means arranged to be applied vto the slot after insertion of the wire therein for restricting the escape of said material through the slot and means for supplying said material to said receptacle at a minimum rate substantially equal to that at which the material is removed by the wire and that at which it escapes through s'aid restricted slot.

EDWARD J. FLYNN. 

